"The more I think about it the more I am convinced that time is the thing. How we use time - and how we can use it differently.

We are all so busy, aren't we? That is, the lucky ones with paid jobs and families and agendas crowded with obligations and ambitions? We're in the fast lane, whooshing through life as though it were a ... but forget the metaphor, we haven't time to ponder on that.

So, there are two things to do. One is to slow down and think carefully about what really matters in our lives – and change our daily habits accordingly. The other is to do everything in our power to make sure that this is not a privilege for the comfortable elite.

If we weren't so busy all the time, we could do a lot to shrink our carbon footprint. Walk and cycle instead of going by car. Take a train or even a boat instead of an aeroplane. Give up on convenience gadgets and processed ready meals. Repair things instead of chucking them out and buying new ones. Buy less stuff.

We could do a lot to make our lives more enjoyable. Spend more time with people we care about. Dance, paint, build, read, run, play, think, listen, watch, learn, invent, create. Make the world a better place. Get to know the neighbours, get to grips with politics, get active, get out on the streets. Our democracy depends on everyone having time to play a part. And look what a sorry state it's in.

All this depends on using time differently. For starters, those of us with reasonably well-paid jobs could cut our hours. The new economics foundation has called for 21 hours as the new standard working week. We argue that it will be good for the environment, for society and for the economy too.

Think about it. Here we are, busy Guardian readers working all hours to bring home the carbon-intensive bacon. And there are more than 2.5 million people who can't get jobs at all. So share out the opportunities. If we love work so much that we want to do more, we should still be free to choose. But why expect to be paid for the extra hours, when others aren't paid at all?

Oh no, you cry! I couldn't make ends meet if I didn't work 40-odd hours a week. I wouldn't have enough to live on. But how much is enough? Some of us have far more than enough. We've got so much stuff we can't fit it into our homes (self-storage units are a huge, booming business). Yet there are many who can't feed the family even by working around the clock.

If we privileged ones cut our paid working hours, we'd have more time to take action against low pay, poverty and inequality. So that's where I think we should be heading in the next 50 months. And my personal resolution? Follow this advice.